NCAA violations

The NCAA’s investigation into ‘major’ violations at Iowa State is finally over, and the effect on the Cyclone program going forward will be largely negligible. There will be no additional penalties for the men’s hoops program, as Fred Hoiberg’s team has already worked their way through a handful of self-imposed recruiting restrictions, but the school…

Rodney Guillory, the events promoter in the middle of the O.J. Mayo scandal and ensuing sanctions at USC, says the NCAA defamed him and mischaracterized his relationship with Mayo (even though he wasn’t named in the NCAA’s report). So he’s doing what most mad people do today. He’s suing. His $25 million suit against the…

For those keeping track, we’re up to three players who played in the 2008 NCAA tournament title game under questionable circumstances: Derrick Rose, Darrell Arthur and now Brandon Rush. A report by Yahoo! Sports indicates Rush participated in a pre-NBA draft workout in the summer of 2007 that was conducted by the New York Knicks.…

Reuters Baylor’s would-be dream season is turning sour. Less than a week after star guard LaceDarius Dunn was charged with aggravated assault and suspended indefinitely for an incident involving his girlfriend, FOXSports.com’s Jeff Goodman broke news that the program is being investigated by the NCAA for its involvement in the recruitment of a Colombia high…

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl lied to NCAA investigators during an early summer interview. As a result, the Vols self-imposed recruiting sanctions and docked Pearl $1.5 million in salary over the next four years. Yet North Carolina football players were ruled permanently ineligible partly for lying to the NCAA about extra benefits they received from agents.…

Connecticut filed a 562-page response to NCAA allegations of major rules violations by Jim Calhoun’s program in an effort to show how thoroughly the school investigated itself. It conducted 60 interviews and made 350,000 phone calls and text messages during its four-year probe. But, according to the Hartford Courant, at least two items could prove…

Connecticut’s admission of major NCAA violations committed by its men’s basketball program produced reactions one might expect: Gloom and doom ahead for the Huskies. Calhoun’s a bumbling boss, ignorant of what happened under his nose. And outright indignation, aimed directly at Calhoun. Tony Ding/AP Tough to argue with any of those. When a program admits…

When Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl reportedly played host to a pair of high school recruits in 2008 – a no-no according to NCAA rules – he took a photo with one of them. Why would he chance such a brazen move? Because he’s done it before. A report from ESPN’s Dan O’Neil and Pat Forde…

Charles Barkley’s never been shy about speaking his mind. But he’s outdone himself this time. The NBA legend admitted on the Dan Patrick Show that he received money from agents while playing at Auburn in the ’80s. And — no surprise — he doesn’t have any regrets about it. “If a guy wants to borrow…

New NCAA president Mark Emmert supports tougher penalties for schools who break the rules. It’s sure to be a popular statement among fans and pundits, who’ve watched as the summer months turned into a bit of a dramatic mess. Forget the notable arrests and just focus on the NCAA issues: UConn and Tennessee self-imposed penalties…

The NCAA decided Arizona’s self-imposed sanctions (two years probation, a reduction of scholarships and recruiting days, among others) for recruiting violations involving former coach Lute Olson weren’t stiff enough, so it tacked on the loss of another scholarship and vacated 19 wins from the 2007-08 season. Not to sound too flippant, but can we all…

David and Dana Plump are reportedly at the center of a Kansas ticket scandal and have been a conduit for Final Four ticket scalping. It’s no wonder the NCAA doesn’t want its coaches anywhere near the family’s foundation. From Yahoo! Sports: Due to the Pumps’ financing of elite summer prep basketball teams, the NCAA has…

Kevin O’Neill is a happy man. USC’s self-imposed ban from postseason play, a reduction in scholarships and vacating victories from O.J. Mayo’s lone was enough to ensure the NCAA didn’t levy serious penalties on the men’s basketball team. Then again, given what the NCAA did to the Trojans football program, maybe it just forgot about…

Guess Eric Bledsoe’s one of the (un)lucky ones. Turns out a fraction of athletes approved by the NCAA’s eligibility center actually have new information surface that causes a review. Question is, why didn’t the NCAA do an extensive review in the first place? The Lexington Herald-Leader posed that very question to the NCAA, and received…

New wrinkle for Eric Bledsoe concerning the N.Y. Times story about possible NCAA violations: He might sue. Didn’t see that one coming. One aspect of the report was a boost in Bledsoe’s high school grades. According to Kentucky Sports Radio, Bledsoe is thinking about suing whoever leaked his high school transcripts. If that happens, we’ll…

Questions surround Eric Bledsoe’s college eligibility. The NCAA is investigating issues regarding academics and extra benefits, according to a report from the N.Y. Times. Andy Lyons/Getty Meanwhile, Kentucky fans have only one question: What does this mean for the Wildcats? At best, nothing (though we won’t know for a while). At worst, it’ll be as…